Posts tagged ‘Christmas’

With some time off the internet last week I came across some old photos my Dad had taken as a soldier when he was over seas during WW II. He was in the Signal Core and was assigned to the Burma Road theatre during 1945-46. From the photos and having seen some of his old 8MM movies I know he was in India, Burma and China. He was one of those veterans that didn’t say much about the war. So these photos were an interesting find. Maybe there are more in my siblings possessions or still at the house.

I was going over some photos that I had been given after my Mom died Dec. 2009. My Dad had died in May 2006. I anticipated the photos being mainly of me and my family but some how these ended up in the box too.

I am sharing them with you and showing some of his writing on the back or just the photo and putting in his words underneath. I will update places and spelling after his comments.

This was the most interesting find of all the photos!

My Chinese Friend

Lee Fo Chen Sept.'45 Kwajang

After trying to look it up, it could be any number of cities in Southeast China. I am pretty sure it is not spelled right. Also I am not sure of the spelling of his friends name. I am trying my best to interpret his writing. Now for both front and back together.

I just wanted to put them side by side.

It would be very exciting to know more about this man or his family. But with my Dad gone, I figure this man is very old if not also passed on. Also with the history of China since WW II, it is not likely I would be able to find out much with the little I have.

Konming 1945 actually Kunming

Kunming is where the Burma Road terminated in China. It came from two destinations. The first starting point was Lashio in Burma (now Myanmar). After part of that road was cut by the Japanese, it was started again from Ledo in India. I think this may have been the portion that my Dad was on.

Untitled 1945

Just a date on the back of this one. I think this is still in China.

Again just a date on the back, possibly still in China.

Taj Mahal Post card

Christmas Eve service chapel at the 371st station hospital Kanchrapara, India. Pictures is the Tajma hal at Agra, India (Taj Mahal).

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So what do I do for a blog birthday? I had wanted to design and do a wood craft of some sort, but the week got away from me. So I thought of doing a 1 year recap. First

I started out this blog with the intentions of showing my wood crafts that I was doing mainly using a scroll saw. But I guess, as with all blogs, it evolved to include thoughts and ideas and just a what is going on with life, happenings. Pages were added as ideas came along. That included my Thankfulness page, with monthly dividers and daily additions, hopefully keeping it somewhat neat, easy to read and followable. Thankfulness

I started this out with a couple questions/contest to maybe jump start interest. That seemed to fail. So I will answer them here.

One was what is this tulip used for?

It is a plastic bag holder for drying them.

My Dad made these, so I made some too. After washing out a sandwich bag slip it over the flower to dry and reuse. Don’t just throw them away! Tulip

How is the coloring done on these?

Dipped in a bowl with a food coloring and water mixture.

You could also do this with a brush to mix colors on the wood. Then you need to seal it as the colors do bleed if it gets wet. #1 and Numbers

I gave a lot of these away as gifts to family and friends, sold a couple.

During the football season I did football jerseys.

These were good sellers!

Once I moved my work space inside during the winter I got slack and started messing up with the spray paint or spray lacquer. You gotta follow the directions! Stay far enough away from what you are spraying. Don’t get too close.

Here's what happens if you get too close!

See all those bumps? This wasn’t even the worst one. The spray goes on looking good, then in a matter of minutes it can get all alligator skin-like. Oops, and It was me

Christmas was coming so I started with the Christmas theme. Hey it’s coming again soon!

Here is a future project that I took a picture of. I still need to size it and then print it.

An owl trivet.

Along with many others of course!

I did a blog series on how I do it. It, was a desktop name and when I finished it, packaged it and sent it via the Post Office that’s the last it was seen or heard from! It disappeared in the postal maze and I lost the shipping receipt. I will do another one. Series start

I posted about Wheaton Academy football last year and this year. By the way our last game was last night. Lost again to finish the season 1 – 8. Most of the teams we lost to either made the playoffs or had a good chance to. A lot of tough teams. Josh has another week and a half in his second cast. Then maybe some therapy to get the arm back in shape. Next up the Academic Team, that’s non-contact! 🙂

I did posts on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mothers Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day and July 4th. I missed Easter!

I did a post to Westboro Baptist Church on March 2nd and that got the most views ever for this blog on March 3rd. Here

I did posts about my job search. That is still on going. With other miscellaneous posts thrown in here and there.

Thank you to all my readers and subscribers. Especially those who comment! I enjoy reading your comments and responding. You all have made this blog more worth while to me. You have lifted me up when I was down and been an encouragement to me. I have blog friends around the world!

If you have ideas for me to blog about just ask, or if you have a wood craft you would like me to try send me a pattern or again just ask. I will do my best.

Thank you again! I hope you enjoy this recap!

I am on LinkedIn and Facebook now too, along with MySpace. So come Link and friend me!

It has been a while and I haven’t been doing any cutting on the scroll saw. I have been busy making connections on LinkedIn and trying to get some work and doing any I get, while also looking for a job and putting out resumes.

I also have been the end zone cameraman for the WA varsity football games. I was asked to do a couple practices too. It has been a challenging year so far. I gave the St. Louis report. Since then they have lost to Byron, St. Edwards, and St. Francis. Then they beat Chicago Christian. So they are 1 – 4. I think they have been playing better each game and it finally produced a win. Go Warriors!

Joshua broke his right arm during practice the week of the St. Francis game. He took a helmet hit to the arm during a drill. The doctor said he is out for the rest of the year. He was pretty bummed about that. He had a wrap around it for about 2 weeks and now has a cast. It goes from the middle of his upper arm to between his thumb and fingers. The X-rays look real good, no displacement. The doctor told him what he could and couldn’t do and he seems okay with it.

It took Josh a bit to pick a cast color. He thought black was cool. He liked the blue too. He thought about pink because during Wheaton Academy’s homecoming/spirit week the juniors are supposed to wear pink one day. I suggested not! Then suggested red as that is close to the school color of maroon. After all that he went with blue.

So that is about where it is at football wise. I still need a job or more plumbing work. Some wood crafting orders wouldn’t be bad either! Christmas will be here sooner than you or I think! Check out my Thankfulness pages too!

It has been quite a while since I posted something here. Just not a lot going on, other than on my Thankfulness page, check it out!

So it is that time of year! Football season! Wheaton Academy starts their season off this weekend with a trip to St. Louis to play Westminster Christian Academy. Game time 5 PM Friday for Varsity and 10 AM Saturday for the JV. Yours truly will be manning the end zone camera during the Varsity game. I don’t know if we will do the JV game.

So anyone in the St. Louis area want to meet me that’s where I’ll be, in one end zone or the other. Drop by and say hi.

As the end zone cameraman I get into all games free and get to be right down on the field and I get to view the game through a 3×5 monitor screen. But when they are at my end of the field it’s like being right out there. Then there are the field goal and point after kicks. The camera makes you feel like a target, but the camera is the target. Dead center of the goal posts. I have flinched a couple times and then you look up and go, whew, a close one!

Our son Josh is a junior this year and is playing Varsity. His positions this year are outside linebacker on defense and lineman/offensive tackle on offense. He has been enjoying the football camp weeks and then the practices. Now the season starts. Time to put the leather to the road, literally, for the first game!

The theme for the season is Count the cost, Win the day. The theme verse is Matthew 6: 33-34 where Jesus talks about first seeking His kingdom and righteousness and it will be given to you and to not worry about tomorrow, for today is enough. My paraphrase!

So I hope to be doing more football jerseys like last year and other football related items in my wood crafting. Along with getting ready for…dare I say it?…the Christmas season. It will be here before we know it!

We went to my wife’s family’s annual get together in Indiana. As always it was a good time and almost all were there. We missed one niece who has growed up, being a college grad with a new job and all. But we had one GF who made up the number and kept us at 28 this year. That is from two grandparents to two great grand kids and everyone in between. Your spot was filled but you were not replaced Mimi! Though if you miss next year we may have to try!! 🙂

I hope all of you had a good Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year.

I am looking forward to more scroll saw work. I have different projects in mind and just want to get back to making saw dust after some days off from doing so. When we got back and checked the mail one package that I had sent was returned. A bit of a bummer! It was marked “attempted unknown”. I guess “unknown” trumps rain or shine, ice or storm…the BIG unknown just can’t get through. I am waiting to see if I got the wrong addy or something. I hope I can use the same box, that would be a waste if I can’t. Just put new stickers on and good to go right?

I will show you some individual pics of some Christmas word ornaments that I did as a group pic in a previous post.

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First, I would like to wish all of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May the coming year be better than the last!

We went to church tonight for our Christmas Eve service. It was good! I lead singing on some songs with a pianist and our worship team leader lead and played his guitar on others. There were readings, special music and some drama presentations too.

My second gift came too. I got my post back from 2 days ago. Thanks wordpress.

So, what about that Christmas tree? I will show you 3 pics of Christmas trees I cut. The first one is pretty basic. The second one is designed by my wife. The third one is drawn by my wife but she kinda copied it from one of my scroll saw friends. I don’t remember who exactly. So if you see this my scroll saw friend and say, hey that’s mine, tell me I would like to give you credit for the original idea.

May I wish this for you my friends, readers and family.

May you look to Jesus for all your needs this coming year. For without the baby in the manger (Jesus) there would not be a Christmas. He came to live as a man amongst us, to die as our Savior and to rise as our Redeemer and LORD. May you find Joy, Peace, Hope and Love in Jesus, especially at this time of year.